It’s been another year — another awesome year — and we can’t believe it’s already over.
2011
If airfares confuse you as much as they confuse me, then I have some good news: Several new rules are going to make it easier to calculate the total cost of a ticket.
When William Pou reserves a room at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort using his frequent-stayer points, he’s surprised by a $10-a-night resort fee, disclosed only after his room is confirmed. What’s more, he’s told the fee is required by state law. Is it — or is he owed a refund?
Paul DiFeterici’s recent Alitalia flight from Miami to Rome was delayed by seven hours. “We were given a paper with information to contact Alitalia customer relations for compensation,” he says. He tried calling and writing to the airline, but no luck.
If mentioning the word “overhead bin” doesn’t raise your blood pressure, maybe you haven’t flown recently.
Luggage fees are a quick and relatively easy way for an airline to make money, but the European discount airlines have turned it into an artform. If your carry-on tips the scale a few grams over the limit, the price of your air transportation can routinely double, thanks to their punitive and arbitrary baggage surcharges.
This is the time of year for the legendary “mileage runs” — the fabled flights to nowhere that elite-level frequent fliers take in order to retain their status. But in my latest National Geographic Traveler column, I wonder if the game is worth playing at all.
Andrew Besterman’s eight-day cruise to the Bahamas on the Carnival Miracle was something short of divine. For the duration of the journey, he was annoyed by the odor of cigarette smoke which seeped into his mini-suite from the cabin next door.
Maybe it was the frosting, which a TSA agent tsk-tsked for being “too gel-like.” Or maybe it was the sinister name of the company that baked it — Wicked Good Cupcakes — that made the federal agency charged with protecting America’s transportation systems suspect the cupcake contained more than chocolatey holiday cheer.
You need to get Scammed now. Otherwise, you could get scammed.
Michael Burz books two tickets with CheapOair — tickets that it confirms repeatedly. Now the online agency says he has no tickets, and wants him to buy new ones. Is that his only option?
Like many air travelers who are wary of having their luggage pilfered, Bobby Caldwell took every step he could to protect his property on a recent flight from Albuquerque, N.M., to Chicago. He packed his belonging in sturdy suitcases and secured them with TSA-approved locks.
When Molly Todd tried to secure seat assignments for a recent US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Cancun, Mexico, she made a disappointing discovery.
When Greg Caravelli’s flight to Cancun, Mexico, was cancelled in October because of Hurricane Rina, his tour operator, Apple Vacations, offered a full refund. United Airlines, which was supposed to fly him back home, returned his money. But the airline on which he was flying to Mexico, USA 3000 Airlines, did not.
This is Rebecca Dickerson and her son, Jordan. A few days ago, they were cruising to the Bahamas on the Carnival Fascination. But this weekend, they were removed from the ship in a “shocking” turn of events, according to Rebecca Dickerson.
Which travel bloggers should you read in 2012?
Today’s word is “inconsistent.”
Do you need insurance for your next trip?
Sometimes when you travel, it’s the little gestures of compassion that make the biggest difference — especially during the holidays.
